Some problems and questions i have!

[Steroidkloud]

1. When i try to zoom in on a planet it zooms in to a certain point then stops. When i press the zoom key again it doesnt zoom in it just creates a landing point and the zoom is really far out and the planet is still a dot.

2. When i change the name of a star, the star turns into a giant planet orbiting the galaxy and planets dont orbit it unless you "Auto orbit" them.

3. How do you apply textures to objects

4. What program do i need to use to create the models and what file type (Extension) should they be.

5. I cant save as i go. It just creates a whole bunch of saves that you lose track of. I have to create my whole system in one go. Is there a save overwrite feature? If not is there one in the works...

6. I cant fly around freely. I can only zoom  in and out. GO left and right. Go up and down. The camera is always locked on to a single point. SOmetimes when i deselect an object it creates a small square called "Absolute space" that is 1 Centimetre...

7. Who put the ring from Halo in this program lol...

I have alot more problems but I just want to get these out of the way first...

[Bla]

1. When i try to zoom in on a planet it zooms in to a certain point then stops. When i press the zoom key again it doesnt zoom in it just creates a landing point and the zoom is really far out and the planet is still a dot.

That sounds like a bug.

2. When i change the name of a star, the star turns into a giant planet orbiting the galaxy and planets dont orbit it unless you "Auto orbit" them.

That also sounds like a bug.
I haven't experienced any of 1 and 2.

3. How do you apply textures to objects

Put a texture file in .png, .jpg (or other common format) into the Media folder in the Documents/Universe Sandbox folder (I think that's the location, but I can't check it currently). Then open the program, click a body and on the "window"/menu which opens on the right when you click it. In one of the submenus, there is a text field for applying a texture. Type the filename of the texture, including its file extention (like .png). When it's typed or you click enter, it should be applied to the body if it's typed correctly.

4. What program do i need to use to create the models and what file type (Extension) should they be.

I think they are .dds, but all programs I can remember I've seen which can make this format aren't free. Maybe there is a converter which can convert .skp files from Google SketchUp (which is a free 3D model editor) to .dds.

5. I cant save as i go. It just creates a whole bunch of saves that you lose track of. I have to create my whole system in one go. Is there a save overwrite feature? If not is there one in the works...

I don't think there is an overwrite feature. The best solution currently is to keep the time, which it automatically adds to the save name, and then change the rest of the save name ("My system" or whatever it calls it) to whatever you want to call your system. Then you would end up with a folder like this:

Ring Distortion 20111006-151447
Spiral Galaxy 20111006-151205
Spiral Galaxy 20111006-151529

And you would know that the newest version of "Spiral Galaxy" is the lowest one in the folder, if it's sorted by name.

6. I cant fly around freely. I can only zoom  in and out. GO left and right. Go up and down. The camera is always locked on to a single point. SOmetimes when i deselect an object it creates a small square called "Absolute space" that is 1 Centimetre...

I don't think you can move around freely, but you can focus on bodies by double-clicking on them. In the top, there is an area saying what you're focusing on.

7. Who put the ring from Halo in this program lol...

There's also a sim with the Death Star orbiting Endor. Probably Dan.

[Steroidkloud]

Thank you very much for the answers. I would really like an answer to my first two questions though.

[vh]

i've experience somthing like 1...do you have any large/very large bodies in your system other than the planet? It happens to me sometimes and i don't think its fixable, just move the bodies farther apart/ have them smaller.

2. could you describe what you did precisely and exactly it's possible to replicate this? what did you rename it to? What planet, what was in the sim, etc. Sounds like you inadvertantly pressed a command but it sounds bizzare to me

[Steroidkloud]

1. Yes it only happens when i have really large objects in my system. E.g. VY Canis Majoris...

2. Well i want to create a whole entire galaxy with 100 plus systems. So i place a sun somewhere in the galaxy. Rename it from "Sun" to anything and it just adds a landing to the sun and planets dont orbit it properly unless you force orbit. But i just make the galaxy have zero diameter and mass and then place the sun anywhere so it doesnt move and so the planets dont orbit the galaxy instead of the sun... Sorry if this doesnt make any sense. It is hard to explain.

[vh]

1 ok that happens because something involving landing points, i don't fully understand it, but afaik, no way to fix besides decreasing size of objects, or make your objects close in size, don't put a dice next to the milky way

2. no idea : If you feel motivated, a video would be most helpful, because i don't really see what you're saying

[Steroidkloud]

Well i already sort of have a solution for it and i dont have a screen recorder... 

[vh]

ok, glad its fixed

there are some decent free recorders

fraps which lets you take 30 seconds video for free version and unlimited for $5
camstudio? i think?

that is all.

[ellechy]

oh , i use total screen recorder.